Network Security

1. What is a "VPN" used for in cybersecurity?

• A. Speeding up internet
• B. Creating an encrypted tunnel for internet traffic to ensure privacy and security ✓
• C. Blocking all websites
• D. Storing passwords

💡 A VPN encrypts your internet connection and masks your IP address, protecting your data especially on public networks.

2. What is "defense in depth"?

• A. Using one strong security layer
• B. A security strategy using multiple layers of security controls throughout a system ✓
• C. A type of firewall
• D. A backup strategy

💡 Defense in depth uses multiple overlapping security layers so if one fails, others still protect — no single point of failure.

3. What is "whitelisting" in cybersecurity?

• A. Blocking known bad applications
• B. Only allowing approved, explicitly trusted applications or IPs to access a system ✓
• C. Blocking all traffic
• D. Allowing all traffic by default

💡 Whitelisting permits only explicitly approved entities (apps, IPs, users) to access a system, blocking everything else by default.

4. What is "cross-site scripting" (XSS)?

• A. A type of SQL injection
• B. Injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users ✓
• C. A type of DDoS attack
• D. A network protocol

💡 XSS attacks inject malicious client-side scripts into web pages, executing in other users' browsers to steal data or hijack sessions.

5. What is a "man-in-the-middle" attack?

• A. A physical attack on a server
• B. An attacker secretly intercepts and possibly alters communications between two parties ✓
• C. A type of DDoS attack
• D. A password attack

💡 In a MITM attack, the attacker secretly positions themselves between two communicating parties, intercepting or altering data without detection.

6. What is "brute force attack"?

• A. A physical server attack
• B. Systematically trying all possible passwords or keys until the correct one is found ✓
• C. A type of phishing
• D. A social engineering attack

💡 A brute force attack tries every possible combination of characters until it finds the correct password or encryption key.

7. What is "session hijacking"?

• A. Ending a user session
• B. Stealing a valid session token to impersonate an authenticated user ✓
• C. A type of SQL injection
• D. A brute force attack

💡 Session hijacking steals a user's session token (cookie) after authentication, allowing the attacker to impersonate the victim.

8. What does "DMZ" stand for in network security?

• A. Data Management Zone
• B. DeMilitarized Zone — a subnet separating internal networks from external untrusted networks ✓
• C. Dynamic Memory Zone
• D. Distributed Management Zone

💡 A DMZ is a network segment isolating external-facing services (web servers) from the internal network, limiting breach impact.

9. What is "port scanning"?

• A. Scanning USB ports
• B. Probing a server to discover which ports are open and what services are running ✓
• C. A type of encryption
• D. A network optimization technique

💡 Port scanning systematically checks a server for open ports to identify running services — used in both security audits and attacks.

10. What is "network sniffing"?

• A. Detecting network errors
• B. Capturing and analyzing network packets passing through a network interface ✓
• C. A type of firewall
• D. A DDoS attack

💡 Network sniffing captures data packets traveling across a network. Legitimate use includes troubleshooting; malicious use includes stealing credentials.

11. What is "penetration testing"?

• A. Testing network speed
• B. An authorized simulated cyber attack to identify vulnerabilities before real attackers do ✓
• C. A type of antivirus scan
• D. Testing firewall rules

💡 Penetration testing (ethical hacking) simulates real attacks on systems with permission to find and fix vulnerabilities proactively.

12. What is "patch management"?

• A. Managing software licenses
• B. The process of regularly applying security updates to fix vulnerabilities in software ✓
• C. A type of firewall configuration
• D. Managing network bandwidth

💡 Patch management involves identifying, testing, and applying software updates to fix security vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.

13. What does "IDS" stand for in cybersecurity?

• A. Internet Defense System
• B. Intrusion Detection System — monitors network traffic for suspicious activity ✓
• C. Internal Data Security
• D. Integrated Defense Software

💡 An IDS (Intrusion Detection System) monitors network or system activity for malicious behavior and alerts administrators.

14. What is "SQL injection"?

• A. A database backup technique
• B. Inserting malicious SQL code into input fields to manipulate database queries ✓
• C. A way to speed up SQL queries
• D. A type of encryption

💡 SQL injection inserts malicious SQL statements into input fields, potentially allowing attackers to access, modify, or delete database data.

15. What is "MAC address filtering"?

• A. Filtering Apple devices
• B. A security measure allowing only devices with approved MAC addresses to connect to a network ✓
• C. A type of firewall rule
• D. Filtering malicious addresses

💡 MAC address filtering restricts network access to only devices whose hardware MAC address is on an approved whitelist.